Piece Together
by rothq
Summary: When Daryl sets his mind to finding Sophia he's going to do it one way or another. Since his fall in the woods, he's never been quite alone. With Merle dogging his steps and thoughts, Carol's confusing soft smiles and kind words, Daryl is all the more eager to get the hell away from this farm and all the troubles it's caused. He just has to find Sophia first. Possible Daryl/Carol.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, I've been wavering between writing a story like this for awhile and I have a feeling it will be somewhere between a collection of drabbles and a short collection of chapters about this particular idea. Originally, I was going to blend the TVverse and the Comicverse but I remembered reading somewhere that the TVverse sort of had a vibe to it about _"What would have happened if Shane HADN'T died in the forest when he did? It's sort of what became of him living._**_" _**So um, yes. I'm rusty at writing fanfiction but I hope I did decently.**

**Chapter 1: Soft**

Staying in one place out in the open didn't rub him the right way, strictly speaking very little rubbed him the right way anyway so it wasn't like he was _trying_ to be as obvious as humanly possible about where they could be and what they could be doing right now other than sitting around with their thumbs up their asses. Having only recently been able to drag himself out of that blasted too-soft house to sit outdoors—the only place he ever truly felt at peace—he was already running through a list of what he would be doing as soon as he was able to walk without feeling the need to lay right back down again. Daryl Dixon was not a soft man, furthest thing from it if he had anything to say about it. Yet here he was camped out on the edge of some pond surrounded by green, green, and more green. Framed all nice and pretty like by blue and fluffy white far over his head.

Scratching at his short hair the outdoorsman stood to his feet slowly, gritting his teeth against the burning pressure in his side and the itch at his forehead that vaguely burned. He had to refrain from scratching at it with blunt nails still stained with dirt and blood. No matter how hard he scrubbed they were never clean, smalls scrapes covered the tanned flesh of his hands not to mention the rest of his body as he made his way towards his current camp ground. He didn't understand how everyone else seemed to be at peace, where he was buzzing with the energy and need to be back out there in the trees searching for that little girl. Able to clearly remember the damp fabric under his calloused fingers as he lifted it from the overturned tree choke point in the merrily bubbling stream. The faded yellow yarn of the hair stained brown with thick streaks of mud well his thumb brushed hurriedly at the rosy red cheeks—he'd seen Sophia care for the little bundle of cloth limbs with such care and if he didn't find her before he got back he would make sure the damn thing was spotless for when he did. He could even imagine the smile on her soft features, baby blues staring up at him with nervous gratitude and warmth.

Daryl could count on one hand how many kids he'd been around younger than him in his entire thirty some-odd years of life. Sometimes he remembered the children of the women Merle brought home. _'Keep them busy will ya' baby brother? Yer good at that soft shit ain't ya afterall?'_ his lip twitched at the vague memory of Merle's eyes sparkling with mirth as the woman in his arms nipped at the exposed flesh of his tanned throat. Wasn't the first time he'd seen Merle fuck someone without a care _'Preparin' ya' fer the real world. Ain't gonna let anyone pull the wool over yer eyes. Ain't how it works.'_

Ducking down and into his tent he pawed about rumpled blankets and loose articles of clothing—didn't own a pair of matching socks and he hadn't for a long while- and managed to scrounge up a faded t-shirt to yank on over his head gracelessly after tearing out of the two sizes too big plaid article given to him by Hershel after he finished patching him up. Last thing he needed was to have Daryl strut through the camp buck naked. Daryl didn't mind, ain't got nothing to hide.

Prodding cautiously at the bandage slapped over his injury he wrinkled his nose and stared at it for a good second longer, cursing his own stupidity and bad luck before tugging the shirt down the rest of the way. He had places to be, little girls to find, no time for sitting around.

"_Now you have to take it easy for a little while Daryl, please this could have easily gone south very quickly with a serious infection if you had been out there any longer."_

"_Are ya' fuc-"_

"_Language son."_

"_-kin' around with me Doc'? This ain't nothin' but a scratch an' I ain't need ya to tell me when I'm good an' ready to move **my** body." The older man had merely folded his arms over his chest well Daryl fumed and grit his teeth._

_Leaning forward he spoke in a harsh whisper "I ain't just gonna sit around after what I done found. First real clue." he held up one hand, index and thumb barley apart "I was this close to findin' her I just know it." _

"_And if you had continued to look for her in your state, she would have run at the sight of you."_

"_What are ya' tryin' to-"_

"_She would have run screaming, crying, and begging for her Mother. Or, alternatively you could have collapsed, blacked out, been attacked and bitten. Turned. And you wouldn't be any good to anyone, not that little girl, not Rick, not Carol, not **anyone**__in that state."_

His belongings had evidently been cleaned and placed inside his tent atop a soft foreign blanket he knew for a fact hadn't been there before. A simple note written on a scrap of paper said _Thank you_, the scrawl was unfamiliar—he couldn't recognize anyone but Merle's anyway. He wasn't too sure on how long he'd been sleeping in the big soft bed with its flowery sheets, sweet smells and unwelcome _home _noises but it couldn't have been more than two days tops. Dropping his arse down in his tent leaving the door open to let some fresh air in he pulled the crossbow into his lap. Some important spots had been missed and he dragged his duffel towards himself to dig through it with one hand well a frown worked its way across his lips.

Well he polished and cleaned he ran through the mental map of where he would be scouting next, from the location of where he'd found the doll narrowing down the area he knew for a _fact_ that he would be finding her real soon. With a sidelong glance to the note he grabbed it, setting aside his finished work to run his fingers over the words. Gently, he folded it in two and then once more before slipping it into his jean pocket. A strange feeling stirred in his gut with a tell that he had an inkling just who the note originated from. A slight smile pulled at his lips, it was short lived as he heard footsteps outside the tent and readied his weapon, free hand snatching up a bolt and setting it to fire.

Carol knelt down outside his tent, cautiously peering in and if she was surprised by the greeting she received she didn't show it. Simply offered him another of her soft smiles, he noted one hand held that damn doll clasped tight to her body. It had been cleaned thoroughly and looked nothing like the one he found in the forest earlier. "I hope you don't mind..." she began awkwardly after a moment, motioning to where his scarce belongings from the previous day had been piled.

He thought it might have been her—outside of Merle, who the fuck else did those things for him?

Scratch Merle. Who did those kinds of things for him?

"_I'm hurt ya' think that way 'bout ol' Merle baby brother."_ his voice came from beside him, muscle jumping in his jaw at the clarity of it, how real it felt and sound but he managed not to look over where his own bed was, where he knew Merle would be stretched out mud caked on his boots, rifle near his hand and machete on his belt without a care in the world.

Bastard.

He still hadn't said anything to Carol and she had begun to look uncomfortable, retreating into herself, thinking she'd done something wrong. Probably didn't want her touching his things, caring for him, around him. Wanted her gone. Blamed her for everything that happened to him.

"I...no. It's uh...fine." he coughed drawing her gaze back to him and allowing him to watch as she visibly relaxed.

"May I?" she asked a moment later, motioning to the stretch of tent by the door with more than enough space for him between the two of them.

Daryl ignored Merle's cruel jeers and laughter from his right and nodded at Carol who hesitantly ducked inside to sit with her legs crossed and the doll resting in her lap. She looked tired and plenty thinner since he'd last seen her despite the abundance of food they had at the farm, he wondered just what was eating—har har—at her or was it just Sophia? Internally grimacing at the idea Daryl busied both his mind and his hands with sorting through his belongings and ignoring Merle singing a jaunty tune he hadn't heard since the mixtape in his truck.

He still had the mixtape tucked away in Merle's saddlebag. Daryl wasn't fond of having a particular attachment to an inanimate object—hell, he'd prefer if people stayed the fuck away from him too—but he'd been unable to leave that mixtape in the shoebox previously stashed in the front seat between him and whoever the hell had been his passenger. But it wasn't only the mixtape, no, it was the bike and every scrap of clothing, or every little belonging Merle had with him when they'd been at that Atlanta camp.

"_Aw shucks Darleena, ya' big fuckin softie."_ a chuckle came from his right as a heavy hand slapped down on his thigh, he felt the weight of it, the warmth and if he managed to look close enough through a quick peek before it withdrew he could see the dirt under the blunt nails, the scars across the back of his hand and the cheap leather wristband Daryl had knicked for him out of some gas station four years back.

Alongside _Busty Blondes _issue #47, a twelve pack of beer and a king sized Snickers. Merle had always had a thing for blondes. Something him and Daryl both shared among other things he managed not to think about as Merle took up singing loudly off key another song from that damned mixtape and Carol sat running her fingers through the yarned hair of the little doll in her lap. "I'm gonna find her." he said, feeling tired blue eyes on him "Gonna bring her back to ya' an' I ain't ever gonna let somethin' like that happen again."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her now twisting her hands together, a nervous habit, one of many he'd noticed since first seeing her hiding behind the big lump of wasted space. Daryl didn't give two farts about anyone else back then, didn't know why Merle was so keen on sticking around these fuckers lost without their GPS or daytime television. Merle's arm was tight around his shoulders, grey eyes full of almost childlike glee as he spoke in a hushed tone with his brother "_They gonna need people like us, gonna come beggin' to us to feed 'em an' keep 'em safe from the zombs. Women will spread 'er legs like **that**-" and he'd snapped his fingers, Daryl's eyes flicked from his brother's free hand to his face "-fer a man willin' to keep her baby from bein' gobbled up like thanksgivin' feast."_ Not that he'd know, they'd never sat down and had a fabled night of turkey, potatoes, full plates and merriment.

Not like that, and the tv-dinners and busted microwaves didn't quite cut it. Awfully hard to find wild turkey in their neck of the woods. Other birds always worked but it wasn't quite the same, and neither Daryl or Merle cared for such bullshit anyway. "I know." Carol spoke "And I...thank you for saying it."

"Can say it again if ya' like." he offered.

Her smile was warm, and infectious as his own lips quirked up into one to mirror hers. "Rick and Shane are organizing another search." she began twining her fingers together drawing Daryl's attention downwards to watch her hands as they worked "Fuck Rick an' Shane."

She flinched, he cursed himself and only just refrained from slapping himself upside the head. "I mean-"

"They're scouting around the area you indicated on the map about where you found..." her hands rest atop the doll, he nods already standing to his feet "I ain't need them, move faster on my own."

His company stood swiftly as well, concern and something vaguely akin to panic clouding her features "No!" she clasped one hand over her mouth, eyes wide as though she'd yelled the foulest of words.

Daryl raised an eyebrow but stopped before the tent as Carol stood just behind him.

Fear rushed into her eyes as she stepped back from him, folding into herself once again. "I-I'm sorry I just-"

"'Hey, hey, hey." He held up one hand, shouldering his crossbow and shifting gingerly to arrange himself to better ignore the throbbing pain in his side "I ain't gonna..." he floundered uselessly for a moment as she pulled herself—slowly-out of whatever place she'd retreated into.

"It's been days and...if I lost..."

This wasn't going anywhere good, he could see Merle sprawled out on his side propping himself up on one arm to watch with mild interest as though observing a particularly interesting television program. Daryl reached around Carol to snap the flap shut against Merle's obscene hand gestures and crude remarks. "I'm bringin' her back." he repeated once again, and he would continue to repeat it over and over and over again if it made her happy, if it brought about that warm smile and kinds words he'd never known again.

"_Pussy."_ Merle's remark was heard over his shoulder, he ignored it.

Distraction. She needed a distraction. Something that wasn't here, wasn't about Sophia or him, or Ed—bastard-or zombies or-"Ya ever go out with 'em?"

Smooth.

The older woman frowns "I...no...not for awhile I mean, they were police officer you know?" she twists her hands again, nervous habit—relaxing her- "They know what they're doing and I would only...get in the way..." she finished uselessly, swallowing.

Daryl sure hopes Shane didn't have the gall to say such a thing, he'd wring the bastard's neck.

"_Pussssssssssy."_

Screwing his eyes shut against the burst of hot breath smelling of beer and barbeque, when had been the last time they'd even had barbeque? When he opens them again the pressure of _three_ leaves for a fleeting moment until he hears a whistled commercial jingle and he mentally reaches out, blindly, for something _anything_ to do with himself. "I could teach you." he says quickly.

Carol's brows furrow, Merle stops whistling. "What?" she asks.

"_What?_" Merle sputters.

Daryl licks his lips "I mean...I could teach ya' a thing or two about..." he motions to the forest around the farm, the crossbow still over his shoulder, and finally at himself.

"About...what you do...?" She ventures both confused and curious.

"_**No**. No fuckin' way baby brother, ya' ain't darin' to teach her!"_ Merle is outraged, large fists clenched tight at his sides a sure sign that he is about to punch something or someone.

"_That's us!"_he exclaims, offended or furious—perhaps a bit of both-_"Me an' you! Not some city bitch who can't do shit against no one or no thing!"_

Daryl said nothing in response, true Merle had taught him everything he knew. Every track, every rock and blade of grass, the best recipes for squirrel and the best way to cut and gut. How to move, how to fight, how to talk, how to think, how to _live_. And he didn't ever teach it to anyone else.

"I mean, when I...after I get Sophia back..." he added on uselessly, scratching at the back of his head.

The woman remained quiet, thinking to herself well Merle continued his tirade in the background, Daryl waited patiently feeling more and more stupid with every passing moment. What had made him blurt something like that? If Merle were here-

"_**I am here!"**_

-he'd throttle him. Fuck. If Merle were here ain't none of this would have happened, him and Merle wouldn't have stuck around to hang about on some farm. Group would probably be dead without them, but what did he care? He'd have his brother back.

A heavy weight across his shoulders, drawing him in close against a hard body, aged leather, and a tight grip on his upper arm. "_That's right little brother. Ain't have stuck around for none o' this shit."_ Merle motions around with his free hand, tongue darting out over his lips _"Woulda got me out o' that cuff, woulda held Officer Friendly down so I could beat the every livin' fuck out o' him an' throw him to the biters, we woulda got our shit and got the fuck away from these fuckers leavin' them to piss themselves and **die**."_

Daryl swallowed thickly, remained quiet, held Carol's thoughtful gaze. "I think I'd like that." She said finally.

He could hear Merle's teeth grind together, grip turned bruising on his arm but he smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

Another warm smile, just for him. "Then that's what we'll do."

"_Fuck you baby brother."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Wow I am so sorry this has sort of been dead for awhile. I've been not only caught up with work but sort of iffy on this story after seeing recent episodes. But find I can't really be bothered to care too too much and this is sort of a bastard child of the comic, show, and game (at least on Glenn's part and slight hints). I still don't know how long this will be as I only have a short little while ahead planned so, we'll just see how it goes yes? I wrote this on and off over the span of several weeks, so it may have mistakes (I've read it over and over again trying to find any) but if you see any I apologize. And if they are particularly bad ones, feel free to message me and tell me I'm a boob for not noticing them!**

**Chapter 2: Heated Decisions. **

Hot. It was hot out, an uncomfortable sort of hot that weighed in the air in an almost pliable state. In addition to his regular gear he never left home without was a canteen full of _clean_ cool water courtesy of Hershel and family. Today was the day he felt in his gut, shifting on the spot and glancing back to the treeline impatiently—today was the day it just had to be and he wouldn't take anything else for an answer. Grudgingly joining Rick and Shane where they stood before one of the group vehicles, Shane's gloved hands planted firmly on the hood holding a map in place. If the heat of the hood bothered him in anyway, the officer didn't show it simply stood in place with a none too pleased expression on his tanned face. Soon, the three were joined by Glenn—the young man looking on curiously but, Daryl doubted he was coming along for the ride.

On the map were two x's in red, one marking off the lonely house he'd found in the woods and the other marking the ravine he'd fallen into and found the doll. "Okay." Rick began effectively drawing the attention of Glenn and Shane from the map and Daryl inched just a bit closer.

Merle was quiet, which on it's own said something. His older brother was many things, a man who loathed and enjoyed punching many other things but even he drew a line someplace. And one of his was at children, he wouldn't punch, kick, degrade or torment a child (unless his name is Daryl Dixon). That didn't mean the man was eager to begin the search—he in fact thought it was a load of bullshit and a big fat waste of their fuckin' time—but muttered insults aside he was quiet. "Narrowing down the search from what Daryl provided us with." Rick continued with a nod in his direction, Daryl stood just a bit straighter "Unless there's another house somewhere in here." he ran his hand over the air, likely scorching his hand something serious but not voicing it one bit "I think we will have to widen our radius to-" he frowned falling silent for a moment, in turn causing Glenn to frown.

"Hey Glenn?" Shane spoke adjusting the brim of his baseball cap "Mind grabbin' Hershel for us?"

Nodding with an obvious question on his lips the former delivery boy jogged off into the farmhouse leaving the trio to themselves. Daryl scratched at his jaw "What's up?" he asked, slightly miffed at the wavelength Rick and Shane seemed to be operating on.

Shane glanced to him, saying nothing which left Rick to do the explaining—Daryl preferred the taller man anyway. "Well, you said you found evidence of someone having spent time in this-" He planted his index finger on one of the two red x's "-house. A small someone, just around Sophia's size." he explained carefully.

Just barely refraining from rolling his eyes and scoffing at the obviousness of that statement, the huntsmen moved closer to the map and pegged their _oh so esteemed leader_ with a pointed look which Rick ignored in favour of saying simply, "She's a kid."

"She's twelve." Daryl snorted folding his arms over his chest "Yer boy's twelve."

"Thirteen." Rick and Shane corrected him quickly, this time Daryl did roll his eyes "Whatever."

"My point is." the man started again in a stern voice—sounding eerily like something he would reserve for the dumb fools he met on his patrols—earning a sneer from Daryl and a chuckle from Merle who walked around the pair of former police officers with a extra few crude gestures.

"That a _kid_ won't think to hide in a tree or...a cave, or anything like that." before Daryl could interrupt with his opinion on that "Not all of us were born in a cabin in the woods." Shane beat him to the punch.

"I weren't-"

"_She'll be looking for a house."_ Rick cut in, ending whatever pissing contest his best friend and fellow Atlanta survivor would embark on.

Looking down at the map it spoke of certain landmarks—Daryl thought it might be a year or two out of date alongside meant for either camping or some sort of land development company. What it didn't show was other farms, even the mark on the thick paper indicating the house he'd found seemed to be more of an estimate than anything. An almost accurate estimate if he squinted at it just right but it was close enough to get the point across which was to narrow down the search radius. Hershel arrived shortly after, expression both wary and curious as he rolled his sleeves down—absently he wondered what the old man had been up to.

"Yes Rick?" he questioned softly stopping beside the truck.

"Hershel hey." Neither Shane nor Daryl greeted their host and neither made any indication to start a conversation, Glenn evidently had held some sort of conversation or another—chatty bastard he was—and had stuffed his hands in his pockets well he rocked back on the heels of his sneakers.

"Sorry to drag you out here into the heat, but I just wanted to get your input on-"

"_His input? Hoo boy baby brother, ya hear that?"_ Merle looked back and forth between the officers and Hershel with an amused chortle "_I betcha he ain't got nothin' useful to say. Dumbass fuck sittin' out here twiddlin' his thumbs with his pretty little farmer's daughter well everyone else gets royally fucked."_

Daryl grunted in response to Merle's words, eyeing the farmer through narrowed eyes. So caught up in listening to what Merle had to say he hadn't caught the rest of what Rick had to say. Mentally floundering as Hershel accepted the red marker offered to him and stared at the map for a stretch of time. What could he possibly be marking? Darly wanted to question, but knew that would give away that he hadn't bothered to listen in the first place. He didn't much care for any of this planning nonsense when he could be out _there_ right now, _living it._

Hershel added three more marks to the map, each a considerable stretch away from one and other and wrote in a surprisingly neat and compact manner beside each mark—and added his writing next to the house that Daryl had found earlier. "There are more certainly." the man capped the marker once again and held it back out to Rick who accepted it and tucked it into the pocket of his button up shirt "This right here-" he indicated to the first house marking, next to which he marked 'Cottage' "-belonged to Madeline and Jacob." he spoke "They had it up here for almost ten years, cottage of theirs. Moved up here for permanent residence about two years back."

Having not seen a sign of a single walker in the area, Daryl frowned. But remembering the open doors—and he never did quite get around to checking the second story. "Good people...good people..." the doctor trailed off, quickly shaking himself a moment later before moving to one of the other marks further out.

About a day's journey from them by foot (including breaks for food, rest, and the like), the mark was surrounded by an outline which he took to be the vague outline of the property line. "Donna and Ted—poultry farm." he shifted uncomfortably, it looked to be a relatively small farm "Haven't...heard from them in a long...long while."

He tapped on the location with one finger a moment more before dragging it across to the next one—relatively close to the second laying on a larger stretch of land than any of the others. "Orchard." he tilted his head, leaning a bit closer "Family of five lived here. Oldest came down when...the news footage started playing. Isolated out here..." he raised his head "I haven't heard from them in awhile either, I keep meaning to go out there and see them—been there as long as I remember well Donna and Ted bought their farm up from a Marcella Joy—Joy Farms—about sixteen years back."

Mapping over the stretch of land of each farm, he pretended not to notice Merle's presence as the man leaned in close to eye the map with minimal interest. "They also had horses, about four of them by my last count and I do believe one cow—they'd been looking into expanding from various fruits and vegetables into dairy." a pause "Or was it a goat...?" running a hand through his hair before shaking his head "Doesn't matter, point being that their land was _very_ large. More than once they were approached by some city boy lookin' to buy up their land and start up another development with a scenic country vibe and view." the brisk tone he spoke this in was tinged with disgust—evident what he thought of this.

Stretching up farther he reached a hand out, motioning for the marker again which was soon pressed in allowing Hershel to make three smaller marks on the map spread out between the three large ones and one more in the heavily forested area Daryl felt at home in. "These are simple country homes." he flicked his gaze back to Rick, balancing the marker in his hand uncapped still "One is a small ranch, just starting up—was only finished being put together about a year back." he capped the marker.

"What about this one?" Shane questioned tapping a gloved digit on the farthest farm which looked a good two or even three days—maybe longer depending on what they met along the way.

If they had a car he reckoned it would only be about three hour drive away (on a normal day without walkers, traffic pile ups, and other road blocks).

Merle's bike could take him through easily. "_Gettin' yer mitts all over it huh?"_ Merle raised one brow "_Better get it all cleaned up after yer done baby brother, who knows what sort o' mess ya' smeared all over it with those hands o' yers."_

"St. Johns Dairy farm." Hershel supplied with a frown.

"Large property, they also have vegetables, a small orchard and about half a dozen chickens or so. Friendly folk, I do believe she's a widow but her two boys moved back in after they finished their schooling up in the city."

"Hey!" Glenn interrupted pushing his way forward and planting his hands on the hood of the car only to withdraw them with a hiss.

"Hay is for horses son." Hershel remarked idly attention pulled from the map and onto the man.

Glenn snorted in amusement but reached out to motion a distance away from 's with his index finger. "I know people here."

Silence.

"What?" Rick asked turning to face him fully.

Snatching the marker from Hershel, Glenn pulled the cap off and scrawled in an untidy manner several hours away from 's he marked: MOTEL.

Shane frowned, taking the marker back and tapping the end against the untidy block letters courtesy of Glenn. "Yeah...yeah...dive of a place, stayed there once or twice myself." he capped the marker tossing it back to Rick before standing straight and resting his hands on his hips.

"These people of yours..." Rick started, Glenn shook his head quickly "Knew them before I came to Atlanta." he spoke quickly.

"Thought you said you were from the city?" Rick said not missing a beat in change of topic, Glenn pursed his lips "No. I mean, yes I spent a lot of time there—did a lot of deliveries out there you know?" he scratched at the back of his neck absently "But I don't know what or if anything happened to them...maybe they would have...maybe she'd..." he trailed off helplessly motioning to the map.

Daryl knew where this was going and did not like it one bit.

It was an awfully long walk.

Merle laughed loudly. _"You call THAT a walk? Ohhhh boy baby brother that ain't nothin'."_

The younger Dixon had walked farther of course, not through walker infested territory of course but he wasn't about to back down from the possibility. "We'll think about it." Rick started.

"Think about it?" Shane asked incredulously, brows high in surprise "You an' I both know-"

"**No,**" Rick held up one hand, Merle mimicked him crudely over one shoulder.

"We'll check these houses—here and here." The man tapped his finger against two different 'X's nearby "If she was in that place-'  
"She was." Daryl interrupted quickly, jaw set and stare daring anyone to say differently.

"_Either_ way being—she'd still look for shelter and right now?" he taps those places again "These are out best shots."

Daryl adjusted the strap of his crossbow. "Great. I'll gear up, pack up some supplies an' be back in a few days." he started to turn away, Rick's voice interrupted the motion.

"No."

"No?" he pivoted back around to face the man "Whattaya mean _no?!"_

"You know what I mean Daryl—you're not even fully healed yet. We need you to take some time well he make teams, set up contact and inform the group what's going to happen." the man explained calmly stepping forward to hold Daryl's gaze.

The huntsman sniffed and looked away "Whatever man. Ya' do that. Me? I'm goin' out there. We ain't got **time** fer this." he moved away suddenly then and started off at a brisk pace for his tent, Merle hooting gleefully as he followed behind his baby brother with ten different kinds of suggestions about what exactly they had time for regarding Officer Friendly.


End file.
